The National Receive Hate Mail For Obama Support

Critically acclaimed indie band The National have been receiving a not-so welcome reception from some after voicing its support for President Barack Obama’s reelection.

The Cincinnati, Ohio based band has been getting a significant amount of hate mail on its Facebook page after performing at a recent GottaVote event in Columbus, Ohio.

In an interview with Ohio State University’s newspaper ‘The Lantern,’ band member Aaron Dessner said that despite the hate mail, nothing has deterred the band from endorsing the president and helping register people to vote.

“I grew up in a neighborhood that was heavily Republican,” Dessner said. “But growing up, you always felt the significance of Ohio’s going Democrat or Republican in presidential elections — you’re just aware of how important it is.”

Despite not being into politics during his youth, lead singer Matthew Berninger voiced why things have changed for him.

“This is more important than a rock band,” he said. “I know we’ve gotten responses from people (who) don’t like the fact that we’ve taken a position on it, and I don’t actually think artists or musicians necessarily have a responsibility to do that. But in our case, the five of us … talked about it and we were like, ‘Yeah, it’s worth it, for sure.'”